Russia: Two reports, one conclusion - the war in Ukraine is a Kremlin-fabricated military conflict - Hoofdinhoud
The ALDE Group in the European Parliament today hosted the launch of two independent reports that have reached the same conclusion: the war in Ukraine is a Kremlin-fabricated military conflict.
The first report "Putin.War" was presented by Ilya Yashin, who was one of the closest collaborators of Boris Nemtsov, who started working on this report before being murdered. A second report, from the Atlantic Council, used advanced internet and media sources, plus a trip to the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine, to collate evidence of Russian military operations in Ukraine.
The co-chairman of our sister party RPR-Parnas and former Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, also participated in the debate.
ALDE Group leader, Guy Verhofstadt, congratulated the authors for their work and courage:
“These damning reports have both used open source information to come to the same conclusion: the war in Ukraine is a Kremlin-fabricated military conflict, designed to serve the interests of Vladimir Putin and his governing clique. Purely to preserve his own power, Putin has embarked upon a shameful covert war against a peaceful neighbour, which has killed thousands and displaced millions."
MEP, Hans van Baalen, ALDE Group’ spokesman on Russia and Ukraine, added:
“In Europe we were blind for what happened in Ukraine. The downing of the MH17 was an eye opener. These reports provide evidence that Putin is militarily involved in Eastern Ukraine on the ground and supporting the separatists. Although it will take a long time, we must stop Putin and his politics of aggression and annexation."
ALDE Group Vice-President, Petras Auštrevičius, welcomed the reports and the evidence outlined today by the authors:
“The more evidence we put on the table about the Kremlin’s role in the war against Ukraine, the clearer things become. Some politicians here, including in the European Parliament, still try to question facts that are public and proved. Misinformation is often linked to eurosceptics, being financed from Moscow. I believe today’s reports are extremely important and I hope they will help people come to their senses."